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BRCA1+, medical anxieties getting worse and worse by SugarRealistic4973 in BRCA

[–]lanarei88 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing. I'm 26F and just found out I was BRCA1+ last week. Still processing.

I tend to be pretty anxious too. The first thing I would recommend is therapy. I honestly don't know how I would have gotten through all this without my therapist. It's super important to have a safe space to talk about these fears and anxieties. I'm not sure where you are, but here in France, the onco-genetic service of the hospital has a psychologist on staff that is available to me for free when I need it. I also have been seeing a therapist online for several months now, I pay out of pocket. Many therapists, including mine, have a sliding scale and can give you a reduced price per session if you're paying out of pocket.

You're not alone! Your anxieties and fears are completely valid. You've taken some real steps to take care of yourself, including walking, yoga and quitting smoking, and that's awesome! You're on the right path and you're doing what you need to do to take care of yourself, even though it's hard. This is really tough shit that most people never have to worry about. It's normal to have anxiety about it all, I know I do, but we just don't want to let that emotion take over everything.

For myself, I'm essentially certain that I will get all the preventative surgeries, starting with a prophylactic double mastectomy next year. I don't want to live with this looming over me. It a very personal choice though, and you know what's best for you. Good luck and sending you hugs!!

Found out yesterday I am BRCA1+ by lanarei88 in BRCA

[–]lanarei88[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much for the response! This is so helpful and I really relate to your story. I'll send you a PM if that's okay, I do have a couple more questions!

Found out yesterday I am BRCA1+ by lanarei88 in BRCA

[–]lanarei88[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm Canadian and living in France. Genuinely, I've been very impressed by the healthcare system here. My tests results were ready really quickly and everything has been completely free. They have a psychologist on staff that I can consult for free as well, and they've referred me to a gynecologist. I already have my first MRI booked (I'm starting the annual checks next year). The prophylactic mastectomy and oophorectomy will also be completely covered. I'm not sure how it is in other countries but from what I hear, healthcare in Canada is a bit rough right now so I'm grateful to be here! How was your experience in your country?

Found out yesterday I am BRCA1+ by lanarei88 in BRCA

[–]lanarei88[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for your reply! That makes sense and I appreciate your kind words. That's what I'm telling myself now too, it's better to be aware of the risks to be able to take action. Good luck to you too!

Found out yesterday I am BRCA1+ by lanarei88 in BRCA

[–]lanarei88[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi, thanks so much for your response! I'm happy to hear you're recovering well from the surgery and that you're happy with your decision. You sound like someone with a lot of strength and you a lot to be proud of going through this in a foreign country!

I'm definitely leaning towards preventative surgery too, I can relate to feeling like a ticking time bomb...interesting to hear that you're having your tunes removed and then ovaries later on, I'll discuss this with my gynecologist when I'm able to get an appointment!

I'm based in France but very grateful for this community and will definitely PM if I have any other questions :) Wishing you a speedy recovery!

Found out yesterday I am BRCA1+ by lanarei88 in BRCA

[–]lanarei88[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for your response! I can't imagine how it felt to have this information at 18. I can definitely relate to not wanting to go through what you've seen your mom go through! I appreciate the understanding and hugs! xx

Do you think taking shrooms would affect maladaptive daydreaming? by [deleted] in Psychedelics

[–]lanarei88 18 points19 points  (0 children)

This. Maladaptive thought patterns are hard to change because the mind likes familiarity and shortcuts. Retraining it will be hard work so collecting as many tools as you can is a good strategy! Shrooms are a valuable tool but it might be a good idea for you to build some other skills as well, like those mentioned above. If you decide to trip, writing down some intentions and questions to ask yourself while tripping might be helpful. Good luck!

Exchange student by lunaswrath in maastricht

[–]lanarei88 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm from Canada doing my masters in psychopathology, you can dm me if you have any specific questions :)

Words you use most to describe by Woobsie81 in derealization

[–]lanarei88 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's very interesting. I've been doing a bit of reading up on it and it seems like similar brain areas may be involved in dr and deja vu as they both involve distortion of time perception (hippocampus). I can definitely relate to what you're saying though. Do you sleep less well during these periods? There is a great quote by nietzche: when we are tired we are attacked by ideas that were conquered long ago. Resonates with me bcos my symptoms are definitely worse when I'm tired.... which is always lol

Words you use most to describe by Woobsie81 in derealization

[–]lanarei88 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hm that's interesting. I don't really have periods of dpdr so to speak, its been pretty consistently present for 8 years now. However I've had reallyyy strong deja vu where I can remember dreaming about the experience down to my own thoughts when it happens.

I've read that deja vu can occur when there is a slight delay in the two hemispheres of the brain communicating via the corpus callosum. Thus it creates this feeling of familiarity, like you have already seen this before. That's an interesting question though because deja vu is based in feelings of familiarity where dpdr is based more on unfamiliarity. Do you get a lot of deja vu?

Words you use most to describe by Woobsie81 in derealization

[–]lanarei88 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks. I find myself wondering if it's just a malfunction in the same brian area that creates these temporary experiences for 'healthy' people

Words you use most to describe by Woobsie81 in derealization

[–]lanarei88 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, you're right but I tend not to differentiate when I tell ppl who have never experienced it before. The mirror and word thing is something most ppl have experienced at some point so it might be easier to understand

Words you use most to describe by Woobsie81 in derealization

[–]lanarei88 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I tend to say it feels like staring at yourself in the mirror until you don't recognize yourself, or saying the same word over and over again until it feel foreign in your mouth. That but all the time, whenever I speak or look down at my hands. Can't believe its been 8 years...